LOCAL charity Home-Start West Somerset has good reason to celebrate after securing a £183,065 Big Lottery grant to ensure it can continue to help families with young children across the district for at least the next five years.

The Lottery funding amounts to more than a third of the group's funding requirements and will be used to recruit and train local volunteers to visit families in their homes.

The West Somerset group is part of a national Home-Start scheme which supports parents with children under the age of seven, offering informal, friendly and confidential support of a range of issues.

The main aim is to ensure children get the best possible start in life, by helping their parents to grow in confidence, strengthen their relationships with their children and widen their links with the local community.

Ali Sanderson, senior organiser of Home-Start West Somerset, said that, although the local group came under the umbrella of the national organisation, each area was responsible for raising its own funds.

"This is an ongoing challenge for the West Somerset team and we were delighted to receive news of our successful grant application to the Big Lottery's Reaching Communities Fund which will help to secure the work with local families for the next five years.

"The grant for £183,065 will contribute just over one third of Home-Start West Somerset's budget for each of the grant years, so although this is a massive boost to our funds we still have a lot of fundraising to do and are grateful for the ongoing support of local groups and individuals," she said.

The Big Lottery Fund is the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding across the UK and aims to enable others to make real improvements in their communities.

The grant is the icing on the cake of what is already proving to be a great year for the family support charity, which is also celebrating its 40th birthday nationally.

Earlier this year, the Home-Start West Somerset team was assessed in every aspect of its work for an external quality assurance review - and scored a full 100 per cent!

The review took place over two days and involved being assessed against 12 standards including governance, safeguarding children, managing volunteers, financial management and health and safety.

More information about the work of the charity is available by phoning 01643 707304 or on the website http://www.homestart-westsomerset.org.uk">www.homestart-westsomerset.org.uk.

Pictured celebrating their success, from left, organiser Ros Owen, volunteer and trustee Jenny Rowden, senior organiser Ali Sanderson, Lisa Conroy who is supported by Home-Start and organiser and administrator Janet Costello.